Rainwear from recycled materials

Tretorn was founded in 1891 by Johan Dunker in Helsingborg. The product portfolio consisted of various rubber products, such as arctics, rubber boots and rainwear. The products were mostly used by farmers, fishermen and the military.

In the 1960s, Tretorn developed. The company started to manufacture tennis shoes, tennis balls and clothes. The modern pressurized tennis ball was a Tretorn invention, and in the 70s, tennis- and sport inspired fashion became the vogue; the Tretorn shoe "Nylite" lead the way, becoming an obvious choice in the Preppy Handbook.

Tretorn AB has a volume of sales of approximately 165 MSEK. The headquarters is located in Helsgingborg.

Tretorn and Naturkompaniet launch a collection of rainwear made from recycled waste materials. Another collection will be launched in spring, made from recycled fishing nets once drifting in the ocean.

Rainwear is essential to bring on fishing trips. But now, the companies Tretorn and Naturkompaniet is closing the circle; a new collection of rainwear is made from recovered and recycled fishing nets.

The Left Over Project

Tretorn’s business model is focused on the circular economy, and The Left Over Project is one example of what it means in practice. The project, a collaboration with Naturkompaniet, has resulted in a rainwear collection made from 95 percent recycled materials.

”The rainwear in the collection has a smaller ecological footprint, but the functionality, style and design is not compromised. The material is mostly polyester with a PU coating. The concept is to reuse leftover textiles, production residue and waste. Materials that other companies have classified as unusable, and that would have been destructed. We partnered with Naturkompaniet to purchase such materials and give them a second life in a limited edition of rain jackets. We called the collection The Left Over Project”, says Joakim Appelqvist, CEO of Tretorn. ”The colour of the rain jackets is decided by the available material, and every garment is numbered”.

”The design is a combination of smart and practical solutions and an attractive appearance. The hood is divided in three parts, with a reinforced front edge. This gives an emphasized silhouette and better protection from rain and wind. The collar has a lining at the chin to improve comfort, and a microphone sustainer to keep the mobile phone headset dry. The two front pockets are raised and the left pocket has a smaller mobile phone compartment, with an opening to connect the headset to the collar. The two-way zipper is hidden behind double protective flaps. All seams are taped to provide total waterproofness”, Joakim Appelqvist says.

Rain Jacket From the Sea

Tretorn has developed collections of rainwear that are mostly made from recycled materials – textile manufacturing waste, recovered fishing nets and PET bottles. The picture shows the rain jacket ”A Gunwale Red Bay From The Sea” which is made from drifting plastic fish nets recovered from the ocean. Photo: Tretorn.

”Our next limited collection will be launched in spring 2017. It will be a rain parka which is manufactured from recycled fishing nets recovered from the oceans. One of the purposes is to reduce the number of ”ghost nets” drifting around as plastic waste in the oceans. This collection is called ”Rainjacket From The Sea”, and will be launched at Naturkompaniet in spring 2017”.

”We want to contribute to a sustainable development, and beside our limited editions we are now creating a product line called Eco Essential. It contains rainwear made from recycled PET bottles, with a surface layer of waterproof material (PU) void of PVC and fluorine compounds. Our intention with Eco Essentials is to keep developing Tretorn’s sustainability work; our ambition is to have half of our rainwear collections in Eco Essentials by 2020. We are increasing our use of recycled materials, reducing the amount of chemicals, and more. Sustainable development is a way to preserve and develop the Tretorn heritage, with products characterized by quality, functionality and style. The Eco Essentials product line is a neverending effort. There will always be new challenges, new solutions. It fits perfectly with Tretorn’s core values”, Joakim Appelqvist says.